Auburn football 2020 season preview: Record predictions, depth chart analysis, breakout players

Auburn football record prediction

Auburn always seems to have one of the hardest schedules in the country. This is what happens when you have a rivalry with Alabama while also seeing yearly games against LSU. Even before the Pac-12 and Big Ten decided to postpone their seasons, the Tigers were ranked as one of the five hardest schedules in college football.

It took until Aug. 17 for their official schedule to be released, but it still looks like it’s going to be a rough ride. The Tigers play every major SEC team not named Florida this season.

The Tigers’ season starts with Kentucky on September 26th. This one is harder than it looks on paper. Kentucky played well to end last season, but Auburn is too talented and they start the season 1-0.

Right away, things go insane. Auburn is forced to visit the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 2. This is probably worse news for Georgia since they are trying to install a new quarterback. This leads to Auburn putting themselves on the map with a statement win. Beating Georgia has all the talking head shows claiming Auburn could make the College Football Playoff.

Wins against Arkansas, South Carolina, and Ole Miss put Auburn right on the outskirts of the Top 5 in the entire country. Bo Nix is seeing his name in Heisman consideration, and Gus Malzahn has the Tigers program back on the top of the world. Now, they face an equally undefeated LSU team still living the high life off their National Championship win.

The LSU game does not go as planned. Nix tries to target Derek Stingley Jr., which is always a bad idea. An interception for touchdown turns out to be the difference, as Auburn battles back all game and brings it to within three points. Still, it’s the first loss as they lick their wounds going into the bye week.

After figuring out the issues, Auburn comes out swinging against Mississippi State. It’s not close, despite the Bulldogs showing fight in the beginning. The same goes for Tennessee, except without the fight. The Tigers have two blowout wins in a row before going into the Iron Bowl with Alabama.

The problem with the Iron Bowl being near the end of each season is the Crimson Tide have time to figure just about anything out. Think about last season. Alabama may have lost, but they put a game plan together that led to 45 points with Mac Jones at quarterback. Is Jones going to be the quarterback at this point, or will Bryce Young take over as signal-caller? Alabama has time to work this out, and it leads to a winner in the most important game of the season.

Going into the final week and the Texas A&M game, Auburn realizes it was a season of missed opportunities. There was talent across the board, and with the uncertainly surrounding this season, they could have made a real push towards a championship. This motivation leads to a win against the Aggies, as Jimbo Fischer is still trying to figure things out there.

Final Record: 8-2

It’s not what the Tigers hoped would happen, but the reality of this schedule is this would still be a step in the right direction. It may feel like repeating the history of what they did last season, but putting up big wins against Texas A&M and Georgia means a lot. This will lead to better recruits and a young core that’s learning how to excel in college football. This is a big picture season for Auburn.